Meeting
by ConfusedColumbia26220
Summary: The Witch and Little Red meet for the first and second times. I now have no idea how long this will be - there is a twist in the third chapter that could keep me going for a while.
1. The First Meeting

**AN: I decided to be extra generous with this section today and post a twoshot! *Cheering is acceptable* lol. Read on.**

Leanette was going on a stroll through the woods when she heard the sounds of a young girl screaming and the hungry roar of a wolf. Wolf attacks were very common, especially in the woods, but something about this one was different. There was a compelling force surrounding Leanette, amking her want to save the wolf's potention victem. Problem was things in the woods echoed and the sounds could be coming from miles away. Leanette decided to resort to something that she wouldn't usually do. Not using magic, but her instinctive mind. Within the short time of three minutes Leanette had found them. Three minutes could've been too late, but it wasn't. She got there just in time. A blonde girl in a red cloak was just inches away from the drooling wolf's mouth.

"Hey!" Leanette shouted, catching the wolf's attention. "Pick on someone your own size!" with a point of her finger she seperated the girl and the wolf, then sent the wolf flying backwards for yards through the trees. The blonde girl looked up at Leanette with wide, shocked eyes.

"Are you alright?" she asked. The blonde girl nodded only half paying attention to the fact that she was being asked a question and asked one of her own.

"What are you?" Leanette smiled slightly. She should've seen that coming.

"I'm," she paused taking a deep breath. "I'm a witch," she answered. If it were possible the girl's eyes widened even more. Normally she would've said something like, 'Uh huh. _Sure _ya are,' and go onto where she was headed. She'd _seen_ it though. The woman standing before her threw the wolf away from her with just a point of her finger. She had to clear her throat before speaking again.

"You - you saved me!" exclaimed the blonde. "I thought I would be his lunch for sure!"

"Not all witches are bad," Leanette informed the girl. "Besides, with that scream of yours I'm suprised no one else could hear it. Do you have a name?"

"L-Little Red," the blonde girl answered. Leanette had to hold back a laugh, she was quite little in height and was clad in red from head to toe. "A-And you?"

"Leanette, but most people know me as 'the witch',"

"That's pretty," Little Red commented.

"So, Little Red, what are you doing in this part of the woods?" There couldn't have been a cottage for miles. Just wild and plant life.

"I was on my way to Grandmother's house when that horrible wolf came up to me. He convinced me to stray from my usual path speaking of flowers and how there were so many different paths that were worth exploring. He seemed so nice - how could I know?"

"Well you know _now_. Nice is different than good," was all Leanette could think of. She saw how rapidly darker it was getting. "Say, um, would you like some company on the way? It's getting dark," with a teasing tone she added, "Maybe fend off some more wolves along the way?" Little Red laughed.

"Sure, I'd - I'd like that," she answered.

The two walked side by side for the half hour it took to get to Little Red's Grandmother's house, getting to know each other along the way. By the end of the walk Leanette and Little Red had become friends.

**AN: Chapter 2 coming soon to a computer near you!**


	2. The Second Meeting

**AN: Told you chapter 2 would be coming soon!**

About a month after Leanette and Little Red met a tragedy happened. When Leanette had went to Rapunzel's tower from a trip to the baker's next door to her home to get some bread, she immediately sensed something was wrong. The familiar singing that usually radiated from the tower was non-existant. Upon looking closer, Leanette found that Rapunzel was nowhere in the tower. She tried to calm her racing heart. She forced her eyes to scan down the length of the tower. Luscious blonde hair spilled out through the window, down, down, down until it stopped at Rapunzel's scalp. Her body was laying horizontally on the forest ground. She must've tried to get away. _Silly child_, Leanette forced herself to think positively. She approached Rapunzel. She bent down to check her pulse. As soon as her fingers made contat with Rapunzel's ice cold skin she knew she couldn't deny it any longer. Rapunzel had died.

Leanette wrenched her hand away as if she'd just been bitten by a pirahana. A sob escaped her throat as she slowly backed away. _If only I'd given her at least a little bit of freedom_, she couldn't help but think. After that thought she tore down the dirt floor at a sprint, her heart smashed to bits. She ran and ran until she could run no more. She collapsed at the bank of a small lake and began to cry openly. Little did she know the lake was along the path that Little Red took to get to her Grandmother's house. She'd only been there fifteen minutes before a small voice asked from behind her,

"Leanette?" In response Leanette quickly looked up while hastily drying her tears. "What's wrong?" she asked before quickly approaching her and tackling her with a hug. Leanette let out a sad laugh.

"The closest thing I've ever really had to family -" it came out in a rush. She took a deep, shaking breath. "Died. I don't know what happened - I just found her when I got home from the baker's," Leanette answered, still in tears.

"I'm so sorry," was Little Red's reaction. That and a tighter hug. "You know that I'll be here for ya, don't you?" she asked.

"Thank you - that's all I have left," Leanette replied gratefully. Little Red smiled a small smile.

"You know," she changed the subject. "My mother is deathly ill - maybe, maybe when she dies I could live with you?" It wasn't that she wanted her mother to die - she just knew it would happen.

"That's sweet, but. . . what about your Grandmother?" Leanette asked.

"She's my _Grandmother_, she can die anytime," Little Red told her.

"Well. . .alright,"

Within a week Little Red's mother died and Leanette and Little Red had grown from friends to mother and daughter.

**AN: And that's a wrap!!**


	3. Inevitable

**AN: So - by the influence of ONE review - I decided to continue this story - aren't you happy? This is also kinda a flashback to the week that Little Red's mother had died.**

Although Little Red had known it would happen, there was no denying it, despite that knowledge, she still cried when her mother died. Since she went to the baker's all the time and Leanette had said she lived next door when she was telling her about Rapunzel, Little Red had a pretty good sense of where she lived. After packing some things she tore down with suprisingly fast speed for a girl barely in her teenage years to Leanette's house, still in tears all the way.

She knocked on the door twice, after which Leanette answered. As soon as she saw Little Red's face she knew it had happened. She silently wrapped her arms around Little Red letting her cry into her, casually drawing her closer inside the house. Little Red was glad that she had gotten to know Leanette so well. She was also glad that she had agreed to take her in at that inevitable moment. With her Grandma it wouldn't be comforting at all. With anyone else it would've been downright embarrassing. But with Leanette - it was like the mother she _should_ have had. The mother that wouldn't die on her.

It was a good half hour before Little Red's tears dried. She lingered in the hug with Leanette for about fifteen minutes afterwards though, it just made her feel better. She knew her mom would've liked Leanette, had she had the chance to meet her.

"Mom would've liked you," she told Leanette.

"Yeah?" Leanette asked.

"Yeah. She's probably looking down on us right now, content with the new caregiver of her only child," she said in a dream-like state. Leanette smiled at the thought.

"Maybe Rapunzel's looking down, too," she added. "Maybe she's happy that I have someone to take her place," she could only wish that were true. She knew Rapunzel didn't like the way she was being taken care of, and that's what ultimately caused her death. Leanette knew at that very moment that she would definately not make the same mistake twice. She'd learned. Besides, she could already tell that Little Red wasn't one to be cooped up in a room all day, she was the type that liked adventure.

"So," she purposely changed the topic. "Now that you're here, would you like to look around, see which room you'd like? There's plenty to spare," Little Red smiled.

"Yeah, I'd like that," she answered. "Ya know, I think this is really gonna work, you and me," she stated. Leanette couldn't help but smile. She was doing better at parenting already.

"Me too," Leanette replied. She then took Little Red on a tour of the house, and afterwards showed her the garden that she'd inheirited from her mother. Little Red was torn between two rooms, each having their unique attractions. One room had a beautiful view of the garden and a huge walk-in closet, the other room had marble tiles on the floor, walls, and even ceiling of red and green colors. It also had a canopy bed that was already there, though it had gathered dust as if it hadn't been used in a long time. In the garden Little Red decided to ask Leanette about that room.

"Can I ask a question?" she asked.

"Ask away,"

"That room - with the marble tiles, and the canopy bed. . .was - did it belong to someone before?" she asked.

"Yes," answered Leanette with a weary sigh. "Yes it did, I had a sister. She disappeared when I was fifteen. It was her room and she always wanted to be a princess," she laughed bittersweetly. "Maybe that wish came true, no one knows where she went. It was originally her that was to inheirit this garden - I had plans of my own, but they soon changed," Little Red realized there were still things that she didn't know about Leanette, and that there were some nerves that shouldn't be touched. She could tell she was pushing at those nerves.

"I can hear the story later," she told Leanette, who looked like she was going to continue talking, though being reluctant to do so. "We've both been through a lot this past week. The past details can wait," she said in an understanding voice. She'd assumed right from the start that Leanette might have had a rough past, having powers and all. She really didn't want the details though, not yet, anyway. Leanette looked at her with a facial expression that was a mixture of shock and thankfulness. "I think," she spoke again. "That I might like that room, if that's alright?"

"Of course, that bed can't go to waste like that now, can it?" Leanette stated in a rhetorical question. That comment sparked some curiosity to Little Red, but she would hold to her word and wait for another time for the answer. She couldn't help but wonder though, maybe the bed was still there because she was hoping her sister would return someday? It struck Little Red as sad, but, as she'd said, they'd both been through a lot that week - it wasn't the best time to take a trip down memory lane. Especially if it was a bad memory lane. Little Red hugged Leanette because she could just sense that it was needed.

Yes, Leanette and Little Red would certainly work out for the better. Maybe, though, maybe there was a reason that they met at the time they did and what had just briefly talked about, maybe, just maybe, Little Red was supossed to help Leanette find her sister.

**AN: So this story may be longer than I thought, with this new idea. I have no idea how long though. I will work on it - I promise!**


	4. Homeschooling

**AN: So here I am again with another chapter of this story.**

It had been an entire week since they'd started living together. An entire week before the question occured to Leanette. On an unusually bright Thurday morning she asked Little Red at breakfast, "Do you go to school?" Not that there were many schools in the woods to attend, but if Little Red did attend a school rather than being previously homeschooled Leanette didn't want to keep her from going. Little Red wasn't used to being asked that. She had to quickly change her facial expression before Leanette could see she was staring at her as if she grew a second head.

"No," she answered. "Not exactly. I was," she bit her lip. "Homeschooled," They could both sense the problem with that right away. Leanette wasn't exactly teaching material and Little Red didn't seem to be the type that would stay in a room for hours on end doing work that was only useful to the world outside the woods. Leanette had the craziest idea but dismissed it, accidentally laughing out loud at it.

"What?" Little Red asked.

"I had the strangest idea, but don't worry about it. I don't think it could possibly work. . ." Leanette answered although trailing off as if, contrary to her words, she were trying to think of a way how to make it work.

"What is it?" Little Red asked.

"I was thinking that maybe, somehow I could homeschool you but in a way that you're not used to," Leanette vaugely answered.

"Come on, I know there's more to it than that, tell me!"

"Maybe I could teach you how to be a witch," Leanette answered. Although she highly doubted it would work she had this sudden overwhelming excitement to find out. Little Red's eyes widened.

"Can you do that?!" she wasn't sure exactly what she thought of that. She had mixed feelings. On one hand it would be pretty cool to have powers, but on the other hand she would probably be ridiculed, just as Leanette was.

"I honestly don't know, I thought it could only be inheirited by blood - but there's no way to know," answered Leanette, unable to contain the wonderment from her voice, let alone the fact that that wasn't where she wanted to finish her sentence. Little Red finished it for her,

"Unless we try it," she couldn't deny that she was all for adventure. She was willing to try.

"Are you sure you want to try this? Everything comes with a price. Something bad might happen," Little Red wanted to ask, 'What other bad things could happen that haven't already?' but she knew the answer. She knew of some specific things that could go wrong. Leanette might lose her power for Little Red to be able to have powers. Or worse. One or both of them might die if something went really wrong.

"Isn't it better to try and regret than wonder 'what if'?" she asked. Leanette smiled.

"Not always," she answered.

"I still want to try, I mean say another wolf tries to attack me. I could blow him yards away with just the wave of my hand!" Little Red, too, was growing excited. Leanette laughed.

"That wouldn't happen for a while - that took a lot of practice to get that down," she informed Little Red. "Took me, oh, five, six years at least to master that. If we're going to do this you must understand that it will only be simple things first. Things that don't seem like they're magic at first, but they really are,"

"Like what?"

"I'll show you, stand up and walk towards the window," Little Red looked at her in curiosity but did as was told. A few feet away from the window, she suddenly hit something like she'd walked into a wall, only there was nothing there but empty air. She turned around quickly, questions ablaze in her mind.

"What is that?"

"Invisible forcefield," Leanette answered.

"That seems like it would take more energy than throwing something away from you," commented Little Red.

"You're right," replied Leanette. "It does take more energy, but it is easier to master," Little Red raised an eyebrow.

"You'll understand once I break everything down," Leanette assured her. "Not everything that people think about witches are true, let alone what they think about witches' abilities. They are way off when it comes to that," Little Red returned to her seat at the table with a smile. She had a feeling she would like this adventure. Much more entertaining than arithmatic for sure. However, she had reason to believe all of this was happening for a reason. She had a strong feeling it had to do with Leanette's missing sister. She'd ask Leanette what she thought about the theory later. She had other exciting thoughts whirling through her head as well, and she wanted to calm herself down before she had an anneurism.

**AN: Hope you all enjoy!**


	5. Connection

**AN: I present chapter 5 of this budding ficlet. At least when this section grows there'll be at least one multi-chap. story, right? Also I have an excellent plot forming in my head, which will all unfold in time. Enjoy!!!!**

"Later" had arrived. It was around five in the afternoon that Thursday when Little Red decided to tell Leanette about her theory. She was a little torn on how to get Leanette's attention, though. She wasn't sure if she should call her by her name or call her "Mom". She wasn't exactly sure about the "Mom" because it had only been a week since everything and it might be akward but at the same time she didn't exactly want to call her by her name because again it might be akward because of the new situation. "You" just wasn't personal enough and anyone could be talking to anybody with that word. Just saying "Hey" and continuing on just didn't sound right to her. Oh why did she inherit the perfectionist gene? She made a snap decision while approaching Leanette.

"I've been wondering," she dove into the point right away. Leanette turned away from what she had been doing to face Little Red.

"Yes?" she asked in curiosity. _I have a name_, she thought although she could understand the confusion Little Red was probably going through. Actually w_as _going through.

"I know it's an uncomfortable topic, but maybe everything that's happened since we met, and even our meeting, happened for a reason. Maybe I'm supossed to somehow help you find your sister," she bit her lip awaiting Leanette's reaction. She honestly didn't know what she would think. A flood of emotions crossed Leanette's face before it finally settled on the expression of an epiphany.

"That actually may be the case," she replied. "I've never really believed that everything happens for a reason, but you just may be onto something. How did you make this connection?"

"Well, I've always been one to connect the dots. When we first met you saved me from a wolf using your powers. The next time it was a month later and you'd lost someone you loved, and I was about to. Within that week I moved in and found out about your missing sister. Earlier today we talked about you teaching me how to be a witch. Doesn't this all seem like it's heading in a certain direction? Maybe the reason why no one could find her previously was because there just wasn't enough magic to find her. Maybe it takes more power than that of one witch," Leanette blinked a couple times.

"You have the keenest memory of anyone I've ever met," she stated, shocked at how she could remember the exact times. "And quite the imagination. You just may be right though," she said feeling a rush of happiness she hadn't felt for a long time. _Of course! _it all made sense. She had only received her powers after her mother had died, and try as her mother had to find her missing daughter, she never could. Maybe with two witches she could be found. The logic was perfect. "This makes perfect sense! I only became a witch when my mother died. . .so there were never two witches at the same time in our family. Maybe that's the factor that's needed. I think you are a genius, you were homeschooled well!"

"I wouldn't say being homeschooled made me a genius, or gave me the ability to make connections such as the one I just did. I think it's more of the different events that have happened in my life as well as on walks through the woods. I won't turn down a compliment though," was she for real? Could someone really be that smart at the small age of thirteen? First time Leanette had seen it. She laughed.

"Alright then," an idea sparked. "When do you want to start training?" she didn't have to say what. They both knew what she was referring to.

"I guess today or tomorrow," Little Red answered.

"Okay, so today or tomorrow?"

"When do you want to start teaching me?" Little Red asked. It caused another thought to pop into Leanette's head.

"Hm, I just thought of something. With how smart you are for such a young girl, you might be able to learn how to read minds, an ability that I've never been able to master. . ." she trailed off. Little Red had a look on her face that said 'you didn't answer my question'. "Today, since my excitement keeps on growing," she finally answered. "But let's get something to eat first, I'm getting hungry," Now that Leanette had mentioned it, Little Red was growing hungry herself.

Within an hour they had food in their stomachs and were ready to begin the training.

**AN: Reviews will always make a girl happy!**


	6. Marlena Elizabeth Foreman

**AN: Chapter six - wow, I'm updating this close to daily, aren't I? Let's see how long that lasts.**

"Okay, try it again," Leanette said to Little Red in an encouraging voice. They were currently working on the invisible forcefield - which was literally the easiest ability to master. However, Little Red had trouble with the energy and kept running low. Throughout the course of three hours all Little Red had learned how to do was make a circle of a forcefield around her own feet, which would only keep mice from coming within three inches of her. For someone who wasn't born with being a witch in their blood, it was quite impressive progress, especially for it being the first day of practice. The sad thing was the skill should have only taken fifteen minutes at the very most to master. Little Red took a deep breath and tried again with all her might. This time she gained an extra three inches in diameter and two inches in height. Well, it was progress. Her breath rushed out in exhaustion. It was both mentally and metaphysically draining. Leanette was actually quite suprised that she'd lasted as long as she did. Little Red looked at her with a weary, defeated expression. Leanette smiled. She put her hands on her shoulders.

"You did great, for a beginner," she reminded Little Red of the bright side.

"I didn't know it would make me this tired," she complained. She felt like she was the flame to a candle and she'd just been blown out.

"It's progress though, don't worry about it," Little Red yawned and leaned onto Leanette for support.

"I'm ready for bed," she said in a tired voice. Looking at Leanette quizically she asked, "And this is the absolute _easiest_ skill to master?"

"It is,"

"Then why is it so hard?" Leanette had to laugh.

"Numerous reasons. I also said it did take a lot of energy, but you've already figured that out,"

"Obviously," was Little Red's reply. She pushed herself away from Leanette and onto her own feet. Leanette felt about fifty pounds lighter. She looked at the clock. It was only nine pm. She guessed she would read or something until she was ready to go to bed herself. "Goodnight!" was Little Red's goodbye as she walked away.

"Night!" Leanette called after her, although it wasn't really night yet. It was merely evening. She smiled after her. She was glad she had agreed to take her in. She wouldn't be having half as much fun if she hadn't, although it would've been pretty heartless had she not agreed. And she was pretty sure she _did_ have a heart, even though it didn't make itself known all the time.

She turned and looked at her vast bookshelf, filled with dust-covered books that were rarely read. She pulled out a random book and looked at the cover. There was a picture of a ship on it. The title was scrawled in black ink, _Lost At Sea: The Legend of Lochness_ the author was anonymous. Not exactly her style - but it might be interesting. She opened it and froze when she saw writing in the inside cover. _This book belongs to: Marlena Elizabeth Foreman_ it was her sister's name, in her sister's handwriting. Tears welled in Leanette's eyes. She hugged the book to her chest. _Don't worry, sis, _she thought. _We'll find you, _she promised.


	7. Nightmare

**AN: And I am here again to grant you the next chapter! Aren't you glad I'm having my creative sparks around this time?**

It couldn't have been any later than eleven, yet Little Red found herself awake, sitting bolt upright in the canopy bed, in tears, screaming. The images still flashed in her mind - stones crushing people before they could even scream, fire scorching women alive, she could feel the pain. Beautiful women being beheaded - women in cells, losing their sanity, rocking back and forth muttering, 'To sit in solemn silence on a dull dark dock, in a pestilential prison with a life-long lock, awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp shock from a cheap and chippy chopper on a big, black block.' If she didn't know any better she'd say she was having nightmares about the Salem Witch Trails.

Little Red was unaware of the sound of running footsteps, the flicker of a light turning on overhead, nor did she feel the arms that were being wrapped tightly around her. All she was aware of were the horrible scenes and feelings running amuck in her mind. Soon the images changed from frightening to peaceful. She felt as if she were on a ship, swaying smoothly back and forth. Little Red realized she really _was_ rocking. Then everything came to her, but first thing was the sensation of being in someone's arms. She turned her head to look behind her to see none other than Leanette.

"Are you alright now?" she asked knowing it was a nightmare. Little Red swallowed.

"I - I think so," she answered.

"I will _never_ get used to that scream of yours. You screamed as if you were being killed."

Little Red responded with, "That's because I felt their pain, women's agonizing pain. There were beheadings and burning alive, dark cells, their prisoners going insane with each passing second. I could feel it all, and it was so real," The contents of her dream were terrifying indeed. It made Leanette raise an eyebrow.

"Do you dream of these things often?"

"No, this was the first time. I hope the last. There was so much pain - I don't want to ever feel like that in my life," Little Red answered.

"You had me worried, you know?" Little Red looked guilty. "Oh, it's not your fault. You're already growin' onto me is all," Leanette informed.

"That's alright," said Little Red as she twisted into a new position that allowed her to wrap her arms around Leanette. "You've already grown onto me," she told her. Her words touched Leanette. She smiled and a tear trickled out her eye. Oh where had this sweet girl been earlier in her life?

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" Little Red asked. "I'm kinda frightened to go back to sleep on my own," she admitted shyly. With what little Leanette had heard of her dream, she didn't blame her.

"Of course you can, dearie," she answered. It was amazing how quickly the bond was growing. Leanette intended to keep it that way. She'd never thought she had the ability to love someone as small as Little Red as much as she did. She didn't believe she had the ability to love anyone so much, but as she often did, she'd proven herself wrong. In the short while they'd known each other, Leanette had grown to care for her so much that the pain she felt with Rapunzel's death wouldn't even begin to compare to the pain she'd feel if anything happened to Little Red. Leanette did not want to think such things though. Neither of Rapunzel's death or anything happening to Little Red.

For the split-second she was brought back into reality by Little Red pulling her by the hand, she seemed to remember her surroundings for the first time, which brought another unwanted thought into her head. Or rather unwanted memory. She remembered nights when she'd comforted her sister late at night in that very room on that very bed. She shook her head, willing the memory away as she was lead out of the room by Little Red.

She smiled at the irony of the moment. Now that certain thoughts had entered her head, she didn't want to spend the rest of the night alone, either.


	8. A Daughter's Love

**AN: I **_**knew**_** I'd eventually break my daily updating mode! Not that that's a good thing. Ah well - read on!!! Oh something you might just care about - I'm super excited because my choir at my school is working together to raise enough money that will get Bernadette Peters to spend a school day with the choir!!! It's awesomely exciting! I'd much rather meet her than write about a character she's played. . .but that's just me. ;) ANYwho - on with the chapter.**

Again, Little Red woke up. It couldn't have been more than two hours since she'd moved into Leanette's room for the night. This time she was in tears. Leanette's subconscious heard and she was woken up. It took a few seconds but her ears soon registered and she heard Little Red crying. She turned her head in her direction with a worried glance.

"What is it?" she asked in a caring voice. Little Red rolled over to face Leanette, a pained expression on her face. She'd had another dream.

"Mom," was the only thing Little Red said in response. Leanette's expression changed to one of pity as she pulled Little Red into a hug, which doing while laying on a bed can be pretty difficult. She let her cry into her. She rubbed her back soothingly. She had often dreamt of her mother too, after she'd died. She knew what Little Red was going through. She heard a muffled, "I miss her so much!" between sobs. It pained Leanette to hear the pain in Little Red's voice. She hugged Little Red tighter and replied,

"I know you do," she motherly kissed the top of her head. She began to softly sing to her, "Hush, sweet little girl, don't trouble thyself with grief, a bright sunny day will chase those clouds away, hold your breath and count to ten, your worries should be over then, close your eyes, count some sheep and soon you will be back asleep," it was a song her mother sang to her whenever she was woken from her sleep in a distressed state. It was such a pretty song, too. It soothed Little Red enough to stop her tears.

"You have a beautiful voice," she remarked. "I wish I could sing that well,"

Leanette smiled warmly. "Well maybe I can teach you how to someday, as well," she replied.

"I don't think I'd ever be able to top that,"

"Oh, you'd be suprised," was Leanette's response.

"That song you just sang was beautiful, did you make it up?"

"It's been in my family for generations," Leanette answered.

Little Red replied, "Well, whoever thought it up sure has a way with words," Leanette smiled. She thought the same thing. "I love you," Leanette's ears perked. Had she heard correctly?

"What was that?" she asked.

"I said, I love you," Little Red repeated. She looked at Leanette. "You're the best adoptive mother anyone could ask for!" Leanette's smile grew so wide she though she might lock her jaw.

"I love you, too," she said with a happy lift to her tone and a happy glint in her eye. She had never before had those words spoken to her by a child. If Rapunzel had - the words certainly didn't escape her mouth. It was one of the things she'd always wanted - a child that loved her for who she was; now that she had it there was no amount of happiness that could compare to how she felt at that moment. She was overjoyed, tears of happiness stung her yes. The happiness intensified by the fact that Little Red, the child she had grown to care for so much in so little time, was the one who said it.

Little Red snuggled close to Leanette with a content sigh, closed her eyes, and attempted to fall asleep. Leanette smiled. Little Red looked so peaceful, a nice change from the upset state she was in mere minutes ago. It was around that moment when Leanette started to believe in miracles. Minutes later she had fallen asleep. They both slept peacefully, uninterrupted the rest of the night.

**AN: And yes the song Leanette sang was made originally by moi!**


	9. Memories

**AN: This may sadly be a little shorter than my previous chapters, I was originally going to include chapter 10 in this - but it was past midnight when I wrote this chapter and I was getting to tired to continue writing in coherent words. Hope this satisfies you for now though!**

The next day they took a break from witch training due to how worn out Little Red had become the previous time. Since the witch training was on hiatus for the day, Little Red figured she'd ask,

"Since we're not really doing anything today - do you think you could teach me how to sing?" They were in the living room. Leanette smiled sweetly at her.

"Believe it or not - singing is harder to master than witchcraft," she informed. Little Red arched an eyebrow.

"Really?" her voice was weary. "Is _anything_ easy?" she asked dramatically. Leanette gestured to the bookshelf.

"Read a book, that's easy," she retorted. It wasn't what Little Red meant, but she had to admit Leanette had a sense of humor.

Suddenly Leanette had an idea but her first thought in reaction was to push it away. She had a scrapbook somewhere filled completely of photos of her family. _Think Leanette - do you _really _want to go down that road? _The answer, of course, was no. Whether she wanted to or not wasn't important though. What mattered was whether she actually needed to travel down that road. The answer to that, unfortunately, was yes. For so many reasons.

Little Red noticed Leanette glancing off into the distance. "Whatcha thinking about?" Leanette shook her head, bringing herself back to earth. She stood up.

"Come with me, I have something to show you," Little Red followed Leanette into her room. Leanette threw open the closet door, searching. There were boxes that appeared to be abandoned on the very top shelf. Leanette couldn't reach so she used her telekenetic power to bring down the box she wanted so she could search through it.

Finally finding the scrapbook, Leanette pulled it out of the box. She blew the dust off the cover causing a dust cloud to rise, making her sneeze. She winced; how long had it been up there? She could see that the pages were yellowed. It must've been quite a while.

Leanette sat on her bed with the scrapbook. She patted the space next to her indicating for Little Red to sit next to her. Little Red obeyed. Leanette opened the scrapbook to the first page. "Welcome to my life," she said to her. "Welcome to my memories."


	10. Blast From The Past

**AN: And here's chapter 10! Ooh - double-digits! This story's getting serious! (And I'm enjoying writing it.) I have a feeling this **_**will **_**turn out to be epic and have a lot of chapters. :D Read on!**

Pages and paged of colored pictures were scanned warily by Leanette's eyes, careful not to linger too long on her mother and sister. She simply glared at the pictures of her father. Popped in and out of her life and disappeared altogether when her mother died. He'd missed her birth, for which her mother forgave him. She, much like herself, forgave people too easily. He'd abused her mother a lot, too. Leanette hadn't realized how messed up her life had been until she was forced to relive those memories. Why had she brought that upon herself?

She gasped aloud as they came upon a picture that held five, not four people. Tears rushed to her eyes. It had been so long she had completely forgotten. The people in the picture were her smiling mother, as beautiful as ever, her seemingly happy father, her glowing sister, maybe at age eight, herself, age five, and in her arms was the third child. Her little sister. The one who her father had killed less than a year after her birth. Her name was Mindy, after her late great-aunt.

Leanette tore here eyes away from the scrapbook trying desperately not to cry. Little Red looked up at her in concern. She closed the scrapbook, set it on the bed behind them, and put a comforting hand on Leanette's shoulder. Leanette didn't want to cry for one reason, she knew that if she did she would owe Little Red an explanation. That would require a full description of her life, which Leanette wasn't ready to brutally disect - telling her would mean that. Unfortunately, she'd have to tell Little Red anyway because she'd already gave enough away.

She let go - the floodgates opened. She and Little Red hugged. Leanette was angry that she couldn't hold her emotions under wraps, but than that wasn't healthy so maybe she should've been glad. She was strong when she hat to be, but in the privacy of her own home she could melt as easily as ice cream in the sun.

Little Red rubbed her back. "You know," she said in a light hearted, joking tone. "You're like a mother and a sister rolled into one," it made Leanette laigh through her tears. It was pretty comical, but only because it was accurate. On a more serious note she added, "When we first met, you'd saved me. Maybe now it's time for me to save you," she ran her fingers through Leanette's curly hair. Leanette hugged her tighter as she spoke through her tears,

"Oh, Little Red!" her voice was filled with affection. "You already have!" her tears soon turned into those of happiness. She was so lucky she had Little Red. When the tears stopped she smiled warmly at said girl.

She had a random though of kindness to lift the curse she'd placed on Ben the baker and his wife Marvelle. She'd deprived them of the happiness of having a child because she was simply unhappy herself. She'd cursed _his_ parents because she envied their happiness. It was the happiness that her parents should have had. She stole Rapunzel away from them because she'd thought she'd be able to raise her better. She had been wrong - it was the genetics she'd inheirited from her father that made her think that. She obviously was starting to put more of the genetics that she'd inheirited from her mother to use now. Yes, she'd reverse that curse that very day, she'd made up her mind.

Leanette's eyes refocused and she saw Little Red's hand being waved inches in front of her face. She turned her head to look at her. "Sorry," she apologized. "When I start thinking I _really _get lost in my thoughts," she explained.

"What were you thinking about?"

"The past. . .which you will soon know about," so it was misleading - it was still the truth.


	11. Lifting The Curse

**AN: I'm back! You'll be getting the next two chapters today - because I'm that generous and excited for you all to read them! Enjoy! This one might be short but the next one will surely make up for it.**

Leanette stood in the garden, checking off the ingredients inside her head. _Lavender - check, daffodill - check, rose petal - check, garlic clove - check, blade of grass - check._ She had all the items necassary to lift the curse from Ben's family. _What do I need to do?_ She'd never planned on lifting the curse and couldn't clearly remember how to do it yet.

After a few moments it came to her. _Oh - yes! Grind the ingredients into dust and sprinkle it around location of target. _It were almost as if she were quoting directly from a witchcraft book.

Leanette crushed the items she'd gathered in her hands until they were merely multi-colored powder. So she didn't look like an idiot circling Ben's house, she used telekinesis to spread the dust around. After the circle was complete the house glowed bright yellow for an instant. A good sign it was, it meant Leanette had completed the ritual successfully.

Afterwards, Leanette had mixed feelings. She felt good about reversing the curse; she felt better as a person. That was only the easy thing on her to-do list for the day. The next task would be much harder. She would have to revisit her past, tell Little Red about her life, and in doing so relive it. She wasn't ready for it. At one time she told herself, 'Emotions will get you nowhere,' only now that she'd let herself feel again she was afraid that if she re-built that wall she'd be putting herself and others in danger.

Before returning to the house Leanette took a deep, determined breath. She would be alright, she could do it. That's what she told herself as she reached for the door.

There was a surprise awaiting her on the kitchen table. Little Red had made the two of them lunch. What a pleasant surprise. Leanette's eyebrows shot up, her eyes gleaming in delight. "I didn't know you can cook," she stated, somewhat awestruck.

"Well," Little Red responded perkily. "Now you know. Besides, I know you've been procrastinating telling me your past, so I can tell it's bad. I just want to help you relaz,"

Leanette's mouth quirked up. She didn't deserve to be treated so nicely, but, oh, she certainly needed it. "Thank you, Little Red, but despite your efforts, I don't think this will make me relax. Thanks for trying," her sort-of smile turned into the meek expression of apology and appreciation.

On the table there was tomato soup, crackers, grilled-cheese sandwiches, and tea. Leanette sat down and began eating.


	12. Leanette's Past

**AN: I'm soooooo excited! I finally did it! I'm so proud of myself!!! Reviews on this chapter will help me out SO MUCH!!!!!**

The lunch was great, but Leanette was still uneasy about telling Little Red of her past. _You've stalled long enough! _she told herself. _Get it out in the open! . . . I can't! Leanette! _she scolded herself. _You're stalling - just do it - you'll feel better. It won't make it any less true! That's the point Leanette - tell her! _Never had she felt so torn about someting that she'd gotten into a heated argument with herself about it. She let out a weary sigh.

"Leat's go into the living room, this'll take a while," she said as she stood up. Little Red followed her. They were abandoning their dirty dishes, but they could be washed at a later time.

Upon entering the living room Leanette realized it would be easier for Little Red to comprehend her past of she had a guide, so she left to her room to retrieve the scrapbook. When she returned she sat down on a comfortable, soft chair. Little Red sat down in an indentical one next to her.

"I'll try my best to keep everything in order, but it's all a jumbled mess in my head. Forgive me if I hop from time to time a lot," it was Leanette's way of warning Little Red that her description might not be perfectly clear.

"That's okay, no one's perfect," was Little Red's assuring response.

Leanette opened the scrapbook. She began, "I guess I should start with my parents. Witches can be either gender, but it was my mother that held that gene. Her father was the one who had passed it on to her. My father. . . I can't say he was normal because he had some problems, but he wasn't supernatural. He was mortal. He is five years older than my mother. She was sixteen when they met, he was twenty-one. Now, my mother, she was simply the sweetest person you could ever meet. She was so caring, loving, she was a very good person," her eyes grew misty with tears. "She had her flaws though. She was too trusting and forgave people too easily.

"When she and my father met he was a wreck. He had been kicked out of his home due to a bad break up. My mother instantly wanted to help him. She begged her parents to let him stay with them for a month, until he found a new home. Her parents let him stay. Over the month they'd grown to be good friends. He'd bought a home nearby after the month was up. He and mother would often visit. For the first two years they knew each other they were just really good friends. Once my mother was eighteen, he was twenty-three, a romantic relationship began to form. Mother soon moved in with him. When she was nineteen she was pregnant with my sister, Marlena. She and my father wed. When she was twenty, Marlena was born.

"Three years down the road, Mother being twenty-three, father being twenty-eight, I was born. I remember when I was three we were the happiest family you could imagine. Mother would sing us kids to sleep, Father would always play with us and make us laugh. Between them, their connection seemed stable. A day never passed without them telling each other they loved them," Leanette paused taking a break from the retelling of her life, letting it soak into Little Red. Then she went on, "On my fourth birthday, something changed. I was too young to understand what it was but I knew something was different. My mother's natural happiness seemed forced. Father barely came into any contact with her, but I rarely paid attention - I was only four. Mother soon began homeschooling Marlena, I was off somewhere in my own world.

"Sometimes I'd wake up in the middle of the night hearing strange noises. Sometimes I could fall back asleep, other times I couldn't. When I couldn't I'd wake my sister, and she told me it was nothing and to go back to sleep. Most of the time I believed that.

"A few months before Marlena's eighth birthday, Father disappeared. Just left. I remember Marlena being excited that she braided her own hair for the first time. She wanted to show Mother and ran out in search of her. I remember what she said when she came back to the room I was in. She said, 'Lea, something's wrong with Mommy.' She grabbed my hand and led me to her. We saw her crying. It hurt the both of us to see her in such a state, she was usually bursting with happiness. 'Mommy?' I remember saying. Mother turned to look at us and we ran up to her, gibing her a hug. I felt a strange little bump when I hugged her, but I payed it no attention.

"I later learned that that wasn't the first time he'd left. He missed my birth but Mother forgave him. She thought she could still trust him, despite one mistake. A week passed since he'd left - now I'm back to when I was around. Two weeks passed. The 'little' bump soon became big and visible. After a month Marlena and I were scared because Mother couldn't get out of beg, the bump was so huge.

"One day Father returned. Just popped back into our lives. He acted the same as usual, and with us kids it was like he never left. A month after he returned Marlena turned eight. Three weeks later my little sister Mindy was born."

Little Red was looking at the scrapbook as Leanette told her of her past.

"That's just the nice part of my past," Leanette continued. A tear fell, she dreaded what was to come. "A month after my fifth birthday I saw something no one of that age should see. It was late, I couldn't sleep. I heard yelling, I got up to investigate. I kept in the shadows, pressed against the wall. The yelling grew louder as I got closer to may parents' room. I peaked in the doorway just in time to see Father smack Mother. She cried out and he slammed her into the wall. I knew better than to say anything. Mother didn't try to fight back, she just took the beating. Father he - he -" her voice was faultering as she saw the scence as clear as the day it happened. "He cut her with a kitchen knife. Mother bled a lot. I couldn't watch any longer - I fled back to my room. It was perfect timing because Mindy was beginning to wail, and Father actually went to go calm her. Ever since that night I hated my father. I didn't want to tell Marlena - she should think of Father as she knew him, that was my reasoning.

"Mother began to show visible signs of neglect, but she always said she had injured herself doing something around the house. I knew better. I tried to avoid my parents and spend as much time with my sisters as possible. I tried to ignore the obvious fact that my family was falling apart." she looked up at the ceiling. _You're in too deep, _she told herself. _Don't stop now._ Little Red reached for her hand and held it in a comforting gesture. She understood Leanette's past was rough, but only Leanette could know to what degree. Little Red could hardly imagine what amount of pain she'd gone through. Leanette started again,

"Mindy wasn't even a year old when her life was harshly taken from her. She was murdered by her own father, and Marlena saw it. He'd drowned her - but he made it look like an accident," a sob escaped Leanette's throat. "We were heartbroken, and only Marlena knew the truth at the time. She told me later she'd seen it all. Her positive image of our father was destroyed.

"Shortly after the death of our sister, Marlena began having nightmares. Pretty soon I was playing the role of the older sister even though she was three years older. Even when Father left again her nightmares didn't. When she was ten and I was seven they hadn't gone away. I hoped Father would leave us alone for good, of course he came back after those two years. He still beat Mother, I could tell. The sickening part was that through it all, she continued to love him.

"I began becoming very timid around Father. Tense, afraid I'd be the next to die. I was scared when he was around Mother or Marlena - afraid I'd lose another sister or lose Mother. I wanted to have never known him. I wanted to erase the last four years of my life and become a toddler again.

"After a year he left again, so much the better. For years it was just Mother, Marlena, and I. Marlena would frequently walk through the woods, hoping to befriend a prince. She never had much luck.

"When I was fourteen Father came back. I tried to save Mother from more heartache and stood up to him. I told him to never come back, that Mother didn't love him, and that his daughters despised him. I told him if he came back the royal family would know about how he treated us. He didn't show for quite a while after that.

"When Marlena was eighteen she once tried to get me to walk through the woods with her. I wouldn't go. That was the day she disappeared. That was the last time I saw her. She never returned home. Mother and I searched and searched. We looked for her for years. We just couldn't find her. When I was twenty Mother gave up trying. She was forty-three and didn't have the energy she once did. She grew tired often.

"Around this time Mother began to tell me of witchcraft and what she wanted me to maintain when she died. When I was twenty-one Father came back. He said he wanted to apologize to Mother, and I let him - under my watchful eye, of couse. Afterwards he left. Mother grew weaker and weaker each year. When I turned twenty-seven I knew her time wasn't much. She was paler than death, bed-ridden, and sick. We both knew she was dying. Father came back the next day. He could tell she was dying. I guess he came to say goodbye. That day was the last day I saw him. One week and six days later Mother died.

"And sixteen years later the best thing in my messed up life happened - I met you," she concluded with a smile towards Little Red. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as well. She let out a big sigh. She'd done it.

Little Red squeezed her hand. "I'm so sorry you went through that!" she knew that couldn't possibly make up for Leanette's horrible past, but it was the best thing out of comfort she could offer. Leanette couldn't believe it but she laughed. It felt so much better now that she'd told someone.

Little Red got out of her chair and sat on Leanette's lap, throwing her arms around her in a hug. Leanette hugged back. "I am so glad I met you! I couldn't have told anyone else my past in such depth as I just told you. Thank you!" it was better than any gift Leanette could have asked for. Little Red rested her head on her shoulder.

"And thank you for sharing!" If it weren't for that. . .that just proved to me that you really should appreciate what you have today, because tomorrow it may be gone!" she hugged Leanette tighter. She'd done the math. Leanette's mother died at age fifty. Leanette herself was forty-three years old. Seven years difference, yikes! If the death of her own mother wasn't enough, Little Red now vowed to herself that she wouldn't take anything for granted for even a second. And now she would hold on to Leanette tighter than ever - because she didn't know when she might lost her.


	13. Mother's Grave

**AN: I'm back with the thirteenth chapter!!! Bet that last one was a lot to soak in, huh? R, R, and Enjoy!**

In the evening Leanette decided to visit her mother's grave. She went into the garden and plucked some lillies from their roots - they were her mother's favorites. She'd told Little Red that she'd be back soon, though she didn't tell her where she was going.

Within the woods there was a small cemetery. Leanette lived about three miled away from it. She walked though it would've been much quicker to levitate. Once she reached the small cemetery she spotted her mother's grave right away. A tear ran down her cheek as she approached it. She knelt down and placed the lillies in front of it. Tracing her mother's name on the tombstone she said,

"I miss you," her voice cracked. She sniffled and cleared her throat. She laughed nervously. "I know, uh - how much you wanted to be a Grandmother. I have had two young girls in my life - I recently lost one and that's when I gained the other. Neither of them were mine, but I loved - _love_ them as if they wee my own. I wish you could meet her," as she referenced Little Red her voice was full of sadness and longing. "She's such a sweet girl, her name is Little Red. Oh, Mother, I know you'd love her just as much as I do. I know she'd love you, I mean who _can't?_

"It's so sad, that you are long forgotten by most others and no one knows or remembers how great you were or how big your heart is - was. You left so young too, and now I am only seven years away from that age. And it scares me, Mother -" a sob escaped her throat. "It scares me," she repeated.

Leanette wished her mother was there, wished that she could throw her arms tightly around her in a hug and never let go. Her tears dropped faster. "Maybe I shouldn't even wish for anything, after all it was you who said, 'Wishing is for fools; if you want to do something, do it!' Only. . .even for the supernatural some things remain impossible," she brought her hands up to her face and cried into them.

After five minutes Leanette decided to leave, she'd been gone long enough. She stood up, "Goodbye, Mother. I love you," were her parting words. It was getting dark. Leanette didm't care who saw her or what they would say, she was going to levitate home. It was three times faster than walking, so it took her only forty-five minutes to get back home.

When she got inside she saw that Little Red was fast asleep on the couch as if she had been awaiting her return. Leanette smiled down at her sleeping form before lifting her into her arms. She carefully carried her through the hallways until they reached Little Red's room. She carried her over to the canopy bed and gently placed her on the mattress. She pulled the covers up to her chin. "Good night Little Red," she whispered before softly kissing her forehead. "I love you."

She then retreated from Little Red's room and entered her own. Too tired to change out of her clothing Leanette collapsed onto her comfortable bed and immediately relaxed, ready for sleep. She crawled under the covers and was out within ten minutes.


	14. Shook Up

**AN: And here's chapter 14! Getting longer, lol.**

The next morning Little Red's eyes crept open as she woke up. She yawned and stretched before realizing she was still in the clothes she'd worn the previous day. _That's strange_, she thought. Then, _wait. . .when did I fall asleep? _She then remembered Leanette telling her she'd be right back and her waiting for her return as more and more time passed. _That's it! _That had to have been when she'd fallen asleep - but that didn't exlain why she woke up in bed instead of on the couch. It only took Little Red a few seconds to come up with the most likely scenario. When Leanette returned she must have seen her asleepo on the couch and carried her to her bedroom. _Yes, that must be it, _she thought.

This being the case, then where exactly did Leanette go and why had she returned so late? Questions Little Red would appreciate an answer to but not so much that she'd go out of her way to pester Leanette about it - God known she already put the poor woman through enough with just the simple curiosity of her past.

Little red sat up savoring the warmth of the blankets before pushing them off her and getting out of bed. She smelled food, good food. Leanette must have been up earlier and was either in the process of making breakfast of had already made it. After changing her clothes Little Red allowed her nostrils to lure her to the kitchen.

"Mm!" she exclaimed upon entering. Leanette jumped slightly and turned to face her. "What are you making? It smells great!" Leanette smiled as she returned to her cooking.

"Eggs, waffles, and cookies for later," she answered.

"Yum!" Little Red took a seat at the table. "So, what time did you make it home last night?"

"Pretty late," Leanette answered, glad that her wince wasn't audible. "I know you were waiting for me, you were out like a light when I came home," her voice held an apologetic tone. She continued talking as she reached into the cupboard for two plates and served their food. "Although I don't understand why you'd settle for sleeping on the couch when you got tired." She was currently pouring syrup onto each of their stack of waffles. Little Red accidentally laughed.

"I wasn't planning on going to sleep until you got home," she replied. "I'll admit I do feel a great deal safer when you're here," she added. Leanette brought the plates over to the table. The cookies still had to bake for thirty minutes.

"Well," she said in response. "If you keep practicing witchcraft you'll be able to feel safer with or without me around," the statement was half-hearted and half true. It left an air of akward silence for a short while as the two began eating. Little Red was the one to later break that silence.

"Are we going to continue training today?" Leanette swallowed what she was eating and answered,

"Yes, we've taken a day's break and it's time to get back on track." She was confident that Little Red would master the invisible forcefield and be able to move on to harder, greater abilities. The next one she'd learn would be telekinesis, at least the baby stuff, and she was looking forward to see how quickly she'd pick up on that.

The two were silent as they finished the rest of their food. Just as they were about to start the table started shaking, rattling their dirty dishes. The dishes within the cupboards were rattling as well. The floor began moving under thier feet. Had Little Red had the time to think sensibly she would've realized that an earthquake was what they were experiencing. Instead she shouted over the noise,

"What's happening?!" Before Leanette could respond a loud crack from over head was heard. The roof was beginning to cave in. Little Red ran over to Leanette and threw her arms around her protectively with such force that they both fell to the ground. It weas at this time that Little Red mastered the invisible forcefield ability. A complete shielding circle surrounded the two of them, causing the falling particles of the house to bounce off of it coming nowhere in contact with them.

After it was all over the forcefield remained up. "Are you alright?" Little Red asked, still caught in the aftershock of what had happened. Leanette nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," she answered. She tried to sit up but it was quite hard with Little Red's arms still wrapped around her. Little Red let go and let her sit up. After a few seconds of thinking a huge smile broke out across Leanette's face. "You did it! You mastered the forcefield!" she was ecstatic.

"I did?" Little Red asked surprised yet happy. Leanette nodded.

"You did," she answered. "And you still have it surrounding us, too," she added. _I'll fix that_, Little Red thought. She focused and the forcefield slowly receded away. The smile on Leanette's face faded as she saw the debris around them of what was once part of the roof. She groaned, barely audible. As much as she hated to, she would have to make contact with the world outside the woods and get it fixed. _Lovely_, she thought sarcastically. She sighed. Out loud she spoke, "This is going to be a bit of a problem," she looked up. There was a decent sized home in the ceiling from where the debris had once been. Little red followed her eyes.

"Nice," she said feeling sorry for whoever would have to fix that. Leanette let her breath out slowly, making herself calm down.

"That's going to cost a lot of money to fix," she stated.

Just then the oven dinged, alerting them that the cookies were done baking. It was an overly optimistic sound and was terribly unfitting for what had just happened. Leanete stood and helped Little Red to her feet. Of course, the stupid hole would need to be tended to right away.

Leanette kept a phone precisely for scenarios like this one and went out in search of it. It was one of the older ones that had the numbers in a circle.

Leanette should have known something would happen that day, something always did on her mother's birthday.


	15. Reflection

**AN: See, what did I tell you? I knew my updates would become irregular, which I deeply apologize for. I've had this chapter written out for a while, and sorry it's kind of a filler chapter, too. Hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it. **

"Thank you," Leanette concluded the conversation and hung up the phone. A repair man would be there in about two hours. Leanette sighed. Five hundred pounds to be spent on a hole.

Little Red had stacked some of the cookies onto a plate and brought them into the room Leanette was in for them to share. Leanette smiled at her as she held out the plate in offering.

"Thank you," she thanked her as she took two cookies from the plate.

"Is that hole going to get fixed?" Little Red asked. Leanette nodded.

"It will cost me five hundred pounds but it'll get done. A repair man should be here in two hours," she answered.

"Five hundred pounds," Little Red repeated. "Wow, that's quite the sum," she stated.

"The hole is quite big," Leanette reminded her. "We were very lucky that you mastered the forcefield when you did. If that's what a day's off does maybe I should give you days off more often," she kidded during the last part. "Although I would gladly give you another day off after today. Not only did you master the forcefield, but you also saved our skins," she added.

"I think the immediate danger had a big part in me mastering it. I didn't really know what I was doing, I just had the overwhelming urge to protect you and I guess that's when it happened," Litttle Red replied.

"See, I _told _you if you practiced witchcraft you'd feel safer," Leanette joked in response. Little Red rolled her eyes, smiling. They both knew that wasn't what she meant at the time.

"Are you going to stand there holding that plate of cookies all day or are you going to set the plate down and have a seat?" Leanette asked in a long way of telling her to sit down. Little Red laughed.

"Okay," she replied as she sat the plate down on a coffee table and pulled a nearby chair closer to where Leanette was sitting before she sat down. "The cookies are great," she complimented.

"Thank you," Leanette changed the subject. "For the record, last night I went to visit Mother's grave," she informed her.

"Oh," was Little Red's response.

"Yes, the cemetery is three miles away, that's why I returned so late," she explained.

"It's okay,"

"Today would've been her sixty-sixth birthday," she continued on, her voice breaking slightly. Little Red studied her face wearing a concerned look on her own. She understood she was trying to keep her mother alive, but why did she bring herself so much pain while doing so?

"Please, don't cry." Little Red asked of her, about to stand up and walk over to her. Leanette smiled sadly at her.

"I won't," she promised reassuringly. "Can I have a hug anyway?" she asked. Little Red smiled.

"Yeah," she answered moving over to her. She wrapped her arms around Leanette and Leanette squeezed her tightly. If she couldn't cry she would need the hug.

"I grow fonder of you each day," she told Little Red "I can't imagine how much my life would suck right now without you." Little Red smiled. Her reply was,

"I second that," she pulled away but remained close. "Can I call you 'Mom'?" she asked. Leanette smiled.

"Of course you can," she answered. Their lips met in a quick, chaste Mother-daughter kiss before they hugged each other again.

"I love you, Mom," Leanette never thought that combination of words directed to her would sound so good.

"I love you, too," she couldn't help it. A tear of happiness slid down her cheek.

A few minutes later Little Red pulled away. She had an idea.

"Can I do your hair?" she asked Leanette. Leanette laughed.

"I don't think there's much you can do with it, but alright," she answered. She stood up. "Shall we go to my room?"

"Sure," she answered. "And there's plenty to do with your hair. I could French braid it or straighten it - or both. I wonder how that would look," Leanette with straight hair would certainly be an interesting sight. Her eyes widened.

"Quit pondering before I change my mind," she teased. She was afraid to see how she'd look with straight hair, she'd only seen her Mother and Marlena with straight hair and never cared to try it herself.

"It'll be fun!" Little Red said convincingly. "Besides, you can do mine after I do yours, so it's fair," she added persuasively. Leanette laughed.

"Alright," she replied. She hoped she wouldn't mess up Little Red's hair and that Little Red didn't mess up her's. But if they messed up they could laugh about it and move on. Right then was a time for relaxing.


	16. Hairstyling Happiness

**AN: Again, I've had this chapter written for a while now, I just haven't found the time or felt pressured enough to update it just yet and I'm still on a Bernadette Peters kick today and this is related, so I figured what the heck - I'll update. Did you know the woman doesn't like boats? Small world - I don't either. You'll never catch me watching Titanic - and the trailer scared the crap out of her. Hope you enjoyed those random factoids. Anyway, I'll shut up now and type the chapter. :D **

Little Red sat cross-legged on Leanette's bed as she did her hair. Leanette watched through a mirror she was holding, laughing at her reflection.

"You're making me look ridiculous!" she managed to say in between the bursts of laughter.

"I am not!" Little Red protested as she secured the French braid in place. "Your hair looks beautiful!" she added. Leanette shook her head in disagreement. Little Red laughed. "You're stubborn - take a compliment," then she added, "Yet again I probably won't like how you do my hair either."

"Ha!" Leanette cut in. "You just contradicted yourself!" she started laughing again. "That's great!"

"Glad I'm amusing," Little Red joked.

The two switched places and it was Little Red's turn to be the victim to hairstyling.

"I'll warn you now, I have no idea what I'm doing," Leanette warned.

"That's okay," Little Red replied. "I enjoy different things, anyway," she added.

There is no way to accurately describe how Little Red's hair looked once Leanette was finished with it. They were both laughing hysterically. Between the laughter Leanette attempted to speak, "I'm sorry!" she gasped for breath. "I think I -" more laughter. "Ruined your hair!" Little Red then tried to calm herself down.

"I-It's fine. I ha-ha-haven't had thi-this much fun in a whi-while!" her attempt to calm herself down didn't work so well.

After a few minutes their laughter died down.

"Would you like me to fix it?" Leanette asked, holding the brush up. Little Red smiled before answering,

"Sure," Leanette then proceeded to run the brush through Little Red's now tangled hair. "Are you going to undo yours?" Leanette momentarily paused brushing her hair to ponder the answer. Shortly afterwards she smiled then answered,

"I think I'll keep it in for a while. After all I did _much _worse on your hair, so I can better appreciate the way you did mine," she then returned to brushing Little Red's hair. This went on silently until Little Red's hair had returned to its normal state.


	17. Unexpected Visitor

**AN: I DEEPLY apologize for my long absence of updating this story! It's almost been a month, I apologize so very deeply. I haven't had much time for fanfiction due to color gaurd (flag twilrling in parades) and my school play which was just last night. I should have some more time soon, but I'm working on the Talent Show and an improv movie too, so, yeah. But you probably don't care about my reasons for putting you all on hold and just want to read the story so I'm going to end this run-on sentence right now.**

As the two were saying their good nights the air molecules in front of Leanette began to morph into a new shape. A human form was rapidly materializing so that when Leanette stood up straight her jaw dropped upon seeing the figure. Little Red watched with a mixture of an excited, confused, and puzzled expression on her face.

Leanette stared a few seconds longer with her mouth wide open before shutting her eyes tightly shut muttering, "I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming," incessantly. When she felt the very real hands on her shoulders her eyes snapped open. The person was staring intently into her eyes.

"Leanette," she spoke. "You are not dreaming," the hands, the face, the voice - all of it was linked by the craziest denominator of all. Leanette was looking right at the face of her mother.

Leanette's tear ducts worked their magic three times as fast and tears threatened to spill over as she spoke again, her voice cracking. "_M-Mother -_ you're - you're _really _here?" her voice was filled with confusion, happiness, hurt, longing, and love. Her mother nodded. Leanette threw her arms around her, sobbing. She hugged her unbelievably solid body so tightly that she thought she'd melded the two of them together. She wasn't too enthused to let go any time soon either. Leanette's mother rubbed her back.

"Oh Leanette, plese don't cry over me," she rewuested sweetly. "I'm here, honey," Leanette lifted her head just enough to look at her mother's face.

"I'm happy, Mother! You're here - which is confusing me very much, but it also makes me very happy! Why - why are you here though? No offense, but, you're dead - I don't understand,"

Her mother smiled that glowing smile that lit up her whole face. "I will happily explain when you release me, sweetheart," she replied. Leanette let go but wuickly grabbed her Mother's hand as if she would evaporate into thin air if there was no contact between them. "I'm here because I know you need me. The hiearchy gave me special permission to return to you in human form. I'm not exactly sure what it is that's big enough to have them tell me to return to you for a while, all I know is that it has something to do with Marlena," Leanette squeezed her mother's hand.

"I made a wish last night and it came true! I visited your grave and desperately wanted to hug you - and you're here, today. On what would be your sixty-sixth birthday, nonetheless,"

"Has it really been that long since. . .?"

"It has. I'm forty-three now," Leanette answered. She turned to face Little Red and her mother followed her gaze. "This is Little Red, I saved her from a wolf attack and when her mother died I adopted her," she told her mother. "Little Red, this is my mother,"

"You're beautiful," Little Red told Leanette's mother. Leanette's mother smiled.

"She's sweet," she said to Leanette.

"Yes, and if it weren't for her we'd probably both be dead by now," Leanette told her mother. "Did you know it was possible for a mortal to learn witchcraft?"

"No. . .she has?"

"Leanette's teaching me," Little Red answered. "She's a great teacher,"

"Earlier there was an earthquake and Little Red made a strong forcefield that surrounded us, protecting us from the crumbling ceiling," Leanette eagerly told her mother. There was so much she'd missed.

"Well good for you! Both of you!" Leanette's mother said in a genuinely happy voice.

"How long are you staying?" Leanette asked.

"I don't know," her mother answered. "Could be a week or more. I have a feeling I'm supposed to help find Marlena,"

Leanette's eyebrows shot up. "A week?!" she was so ecstatic she thought she'd die. A week, or more, to spend with her beautiful, dearly missed mother! And Little Red, of course.

"There's that smile," Leanette;s mother lightly touched Leanette's chin. Leanette laughed.

"I've missed you so much!" she said. "Hey, is it true you get reunited with loved ones after death?" she asked.

"Yes,"

"Have you been reunited with. . . with Mindy?" her mother's eyes widened.

"Mindy? You remember her? Yes, yes I have. She hasn't aged a day though, she's still a baby,"

"Is she okay?"

"She's fine, she doesn't know the difference," her mother answered.

Little Red accidentally yawned audibly. Leanette returned her attention to her. She smiled.

"Don't let us keep you up," she said as she crawled onto the bed. She hugged Little Red. "Get some sleep," she kissed her forehead. "I love you,"

"Love you, too," Little Red spoke quietly. Leanette smiled and got off the bed.

"Let's go," she told her mother. The two left silently.


	18. Promise Me You'll Be Here When I Wake Up

**AN: Woo! It's a three day weekend and Into The Woods is in the mail on the way to my house - what better way to celebrate than with an ITW fanfic update?**

Leanterre and her mother were in the living room. "So, do you. . . _sleep_?" Leanette asked. Her mother shook her head.

"No, I don't," she voiced her answer.

"Will you stay with me while I sleep? I keep feeling like you're going to disappear the second I look away," Leanette requested. Her mother smiled sadly.

"Understandably," she replied. "I'll stay," she answered. She reached out and took Leanette's hand. "I'm sorry I died on you," she apologized solemnly, her eyes staring into Leanette's. "Life must be so hard. I really shouldn't have waited until I was on my death bed to tell you what you are; what I was,"

"It's alright, Mom," Leanette replied softly. "I can't deny that I've wanted you here many times though," she sighed. "I'm already ready for bed. Promise you'll still be here when I wake up," she stood up, her mother's hand still in her own.

"I'll be here," her mother promised. "You'll know when I have to leave," she added.

"I know this is too much to ask for, but can't you stay? If they can send you back to me for a week, can't they senf you back to me permanently?" Leanette asked hoping for the answer she wanted to hear while knowing it wouldn't be the answer she was going to get.

"I wish I could,"her mother replied. "I really do. You must be getting tired, honey. Let's get you to bed," she pushed her gently towards the direction of her bedroom. "I'm right here, go," she stated. Leanette willed her feet to move on their own and made her way to her bedroom while fighting the urge to look to see if her mother was indeed right behind her. Upon entering the room she carefully laid down on the bed. Her mother laid next to her and wrapped her arms around her daughter. Leanette sighed as she let her heavy eyelids close.

"I love you, Mom," she spoke in a quiet, breathy whisper. Her mom smiled and kissed the top of her head. She brought her lips to her ear and whispered back,

"I love you, too,"

A tear slowly trickled out of Leanette's eye as she fell asleep.


	19. Doubt

**AN: I am here to tell you the end is coming and I will have this story finished today! The first multi-chapter story I've actually finished on fanfiction and I'm proud of it. This chapter is especially long and juicy so hopefully this chapter and the three that will follow it make up for my absence! Reviews will make me really happy!**

The next morning Little Red awoke. She yawned and pushed herself out of bed. She'd had a rather interesting dream to say the least. She thought it to be quite relevant to the search for Leanette's sister/ She dreamt of a young girl, a few years older than herself, being taken by a prince. The girl was as happy as could be. Then the dream jumped to the girl being stolen away from the prince. The girl was frightened and her screams were not heard as the men, Little Red presumed, drug her awayt from her royal home. It changed scenes again and the girl was now in a dark, secluded area weeping. 'Help me!' she'd sobbed out over and over again. 'Help me somebody - please!' Little Red wouldn't know for sure if the dream had any relevance until she told Leanette and she guessed her mother about it. Though she herself believed it was relevant.

She smelled food coming from the kitchen and heard singing. The voice was similar to Leanette's but Little Red could tell it wasn't her. That only left her mother. She let her nose and ears lead her to the kitchen. "Hi," she greeted upon entrance. Leanette;s mother spun around to face her.

"Oh, hello there," she greeted in response.

"You're cooking," Little Red stated.

"Yeah," she replied. "Thought I'd surprise you and Leanette but you caught me,"

"Is she still asleep?" Little Red asked.

"She is," she answered.

"Hm," Little red drew out a thoughtful noise. She guessed she'd tell her first, she didn't want to bother Leanette. "I had a dream last night that I find interesting. I think you will too," she told her.

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Little Red then told her the events of the dream. "I think something similar may have happened to Marlena," she concluded.

"Running off with a prince. That sounds like Marlena," Leanette's mother replied.

"So you agree? You think something like that happened to her?" Little Red asked.

"Anything's possible," she answered. "That does seem to be a likely scenario. Explains why we didn't find her," she added.

"Do you think there's a chance that the three of us could find her now?" Little Red asked.

"Yeah," she answreed. "We probably could. Getting there and getting her to leave with us is a different story though,"

Little Red didn't understand what she meant until after asking, "Why wouldn't she leave with us?" Then she got it.

"Because after all these years she probably wouldn't remember me or Leanette, and she hasn't met you. Other than that she could've changed completely to a new person that I wouldn't recognize as my daughter," she answered. "She also might be happy and not want to leave," she added. The different possibilities and scenarios were endless.

Leanette's mother finished cooking. She served the food onto two plates and carried the plates over to the table. "I'll be back," she stated. "I promised Leanette I'd be there when she woke up," she explained before leaving the room.

Leanette was still sleeping as she entered her room. She silently lay on the bed next to her and wrapped her arms around her in a gentle way that would surely wake her up. Leanette's eyes fluttered open. She could feel her mother's arms around her. She yawned and turned to face her. "Hi, mom," she greeted with a sleepy smile. She hadn't really believed her the night before when she'd told her she'd be there when she woke up.

"Hi, honey. Made some breakfast for you and the kid, it's sitting on the table," she told her, smiling back. Leanette's smile grew wider.

"Yay!" she cheered quietly. There were two reasons for celebration. One, she _loved_ her mother's cooking. Two, she was off the hook that morning. Her mother chuckled.

"You should get up," she gently nudged her arm. "Before you sleep the day away,"

"What time is it?" Leanette asked.

"Not too late, but it will be if you stay in here any longer. It's about ten," her mother answered.

"Alright," Leanette said through a yawn and pushed herself up into a sitting position. "Slept in a little," she commented. "Is Little Red awake?" she asked.

"Yes, she's in the kitchen. I was going to surprise the both of you with the cooking, but she caught me,"

Leanette laughed quietly. "She catches me, too," she replied. She pushed her hair out of her face. "I bet I look like a mess,"

"You look fine," she grabbed Leanette's hand after pushing herself to a standing position on the floor. "Come eat your breakfast," she said as she gently pulled Leanette to the edge of the bed. Leanette tiredly got to her feet and trudged to the kitchen behind her mother. She flopped down into one of the chairs at the kitchen table. She yawned and stretched. "Wow, I'm tired," she commented. Little Red came up to the side of her and gave her a hug. Leanette smiled and hugged her back. "What's this for?" she asked. Little Red shrugged.

"Just because," she answered and let go, moving to the other side of the table where her plate sat. "I had a dream last night I think you should hear," and she recited the dream again, pausing every so often to eat some of the food from her plate.

"What do you think, Mom?" Leanette asked after the dream had been told and after Little Red had told her how she thought it was connected to Marlena.

"I think it's possible," she answered. "Didn't the first part sound a lot like something she'd do?"

"It does," Leanette agreed. "And it kills me to know she disappeared the day she tried dragging me out into the woods with her," she added. "Maybe if I went with her. . ."

"Honey, stop," her mother grabbed her hands in hers. "There way obviously a reason why you didn't go and she did. I can tell you right now the reason certainly wasn't so you'd put self-blame on yourself later. Maybe for some odd reason she was meant to be separated from us, we just don't know why the reason it,"

Leanette finally thought the unthinkable. "She could be dead," she stated. "And all this will be for nothing,"

"Honey," her mother sat in a third chair so she was at eye level with Leanette. "You don't believe that. I don't think I'd be here right now if that were true,"

"Or maybe that's exactly why they sent you. Maybe we're meant to find that she is dead and that we're meant to move on. Doesn't that make sense at all?" Leanette asked.

"I don't believe that," he mother spoke softly. "But I do believe something is bothering you. You don't usually act like this,"

"Maybe I'm trying to face reality and I've recently realized I'll never see my big sister again," Leanette replied. She stood up and left the kitchen, returning to her room. Her mother and Little Red exchanged glances.

"I'll go talk to her," Little Redvolunteered. Normally Leanette's mother would've protested with, 'She needs to be alone,' but this time she didn't. It was the first time nothing she'd said worked. She was still a bit shocked at her daughter's behavior. She nodded in agreement.

"You're probably the one she needs to talk to right now anyway," she replied.

"Thanks for the breakfast," Little Red thanked her before going after Leanette.

The door to Leanette's room was wide open. Little Red walked in and sat next to Leanette on the bed. "Hey,"

Leanette sighed and looked at her. "Sorry for the scene, I'm just not so sure I can take much more of this. Hoping for unrealistic things is just starting to get old," Little Red wrapped her arms around her.

"If it's important to you and you believe to an extent that it can happen, then it's not unrealistic, Mom," Little Red told her. Leanette smiled bittersweetly.

"I don't believe we can find her anymore. I just don't. When you've been waiting for something to happen as long as I have and it hasn't happened yet you'll begin to lose hope. And I've just lost hope. I guess I need to just move on with my life. I know that right now the odds of finding Marlena are the highest they've ever been, but I just don't think it will be worth it anymore. I've been lying to myself thinking I'd find her the exact same way she was when she disappeared. That wouldn't be the case. She;d be a completely different person. I'd rather have my memories than find her and realize she's not the sister I remember," a tear slid down her face as she explained this. "I just think it's time to give up,"

Little red hugged her tighter. She could understand where she was coming from.

"I've lived in a fairy tale like world my whole life and I just realized that not all fairy tales have happy endings. For years I've clung to this hope I'd be reunited with my sister, and now I know that's never going to happen. Then there's the highly possible possibility of her being dead. I set myself up for disappointment and I don't want to follow through with it," Little Red rubbed her back gently.

"I understand," she told her. "Completely. Like when my mother was dying she didn't pray she'd get better, she knew she wouldn't. She told me not to hope she'd be better either, because it would be a false hope and the longed for result wouldn't be the result we'd get,"

Leanette nodded. "Exactly," she replied. "Mother doesn't understand because he optimism clouds her practical judgement,"

"She's right about one thing," Little Red pointed out. "Whatever Marlena's fate is or was, it was in no way, shape or form your fault,"

Leanette laughed a short, brief laugh. "I'm not quite sure I believe that yet," at least she was being honest. Little Red rested her head on her shoulder.

"If you don't believe it, can you at least quit blaming yourself? It's in the past anyway,"

A small smile made it to Leanette's face. _All in the past_, she thought.


	20. Move On

**AN: I told you I was finishing this story today! :D**

"So you want to just give up?" Leanette's mother was appalled.

"Mom, it's just not worth it," Leanette tried getting her point across but it clearly wasn't happening.

"Maybe not for you anymore, but don't you think I'd like to see my daughter again? Has _that_ crossed your mind?" Leanette sighed and grabbed her mother's hands.

"I know, Mom. Can't you be satisfied with your memories?" Leanette asked getnly. Her mother closed her eyes and tried to recollect herself before snapping them back open bearing a completely crazed look that made Leanette retreat a few steps, breaking off their physical contact.

"I don't have any memories left!" she snapped. "It has been too long. I can barely remember anything about _you_ and we spent twelve years together after Marlena disappeared!"

Little Red badly wanted to intervene but held herself back, not wanting to interrupt unless absolutely necassary.

Leanette's wide eyes softened. "Mom," she said gently, retaking those few steps she'd retreated moments earlier. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, her eyes searching her mother's.

"Because I couldn't," her voice cracked. "You were so-so happy," her voice broke the sentence into almost incoherent static. A tear slid down her cheek and Leanette pulled her close into a loving hug. She closed her eyes, the answer was no longer important. She didn't want her mother to cry. She never wanted her mother to cry. It was hard to see as a little girl and it was hard to see now. In fact, she was starting to get choked up herself. She rubbed her mother's back.

"Mom, stop," she pleaded in a cracking voice. "You're making me cry, too," she made a sob laugh noise. She pulled back and placed a hand on her mother's face, wiping the tears away. Her mother smiled. Leanette smiled back. "I love you, Mom," she whispered.

"I love you, too," her mother said back and interwove her hand into hers.

"We-We can still continue looking, if you want," Leanette told her mother. "If it's important to you, we can still look," Leanette told her. Her mother smiled sadly.

"You may be right. Maybe I was sent back so we could move on. I was hoping you were wrong, but now I think you're right," she replied.

"If I'm right about that - that means you have to leave," Leanette replied sadly. "I'm not ready for you to leave," she hadn't wanted to but she'd started crying.

"Maybe there's another reason. . .?"

"Don't give me false hope," Leanette replied and dove into her mother, burying her head in her chest, her arms wrapped around her tightly.

There was too much sadness in the room for Little Red to handle. She left the room silently, almost feeling like crying herself.

Leanette and her mother held onto each other in sadness yet trying to comfort each other as well. Her mother kissed her cheek.

"Don't cry, honey," she murmured into her ear. Leanette pulled away and wiped her tears away.

"What now?" she asked, her voice cracking. Now that the quest had been forrieted, she didn't know what to do.

"Now you focus on being a mother," her mother answered. "Start your life afreash. Forget about the bad things,"

"And what of you? What are you going to do?"

"For the time being I will simply be your mother and Little Red's grandmother," she answered.


	21. You Are Not Alone

**AN: Almost finished. . .**

Leanette found Little Red and threw her arms around her. "This whole thing isn't making you feel. . .awkward, is it?" she asked.

"Do you want me to answer that honestly?"

"Honesty would be nice," Leanette answered. Little Red turned in her arms so she was facing her.

"Honestly. . .yes. It is awkward," she answered. Leanette looked as if she was going to say something but Little Red wasn't finished. "I mean your mother gets sent back from the dead. . ." she sighed. "I guess I'm jealous. I lost my mother and she hadn't been sent back to me. What's also strange, even though I understand where you come from, you're ending the search for your sister. It makes me feel as if I'm not needed anymore," she admitted. "I feel out of place. . .like I don't belong,"

Leanette held her close to her. "Just because we've ended the search doesn't mean that I don't need or want you around. My mother being here doesn't mean you don't belong," she told her sincerely. Little Red felt her eyes sting with tears but she fought them off.

"I feel like I'm going to cry," she said. "But there's been too much sadness going around lately," she added as she hugged Leanette tightly.

"You've got that right," Leanette replied. Silence for a few minutes. They pulled apart. "You going to be alright?" Little Red nodded with a smile. "Good," Leanette replied with a smile of her own. "Want to help me make lunch?" she asked.

"Sure!" Little Red answered enthusiastically, her eyes lighting up delightfully.

Leanette took her into the kitchen and they began to make lunch. With the two of them it took only hald an hour to make what would take one person alone an hour. They chatted about as they cooked and handed each other ingredients and kitchen supplies when they needed them. Leanette's mother entered the kitchen.

"May I see the garden?" she asked.

"Yeah, Mom. Go ahead," Leanette answered not looking away from her task. "It's yours anyway," she added. Technically it had been her mother's until she passed away but since she was very much alive now Leanette figured it was hers again. Her mother smiled.

"Not completely," she replied as she walked to the door that lead to the garden. It actually made sense for the kitchen to be next to the garden. Storing ripened vegetables and fruits called for a shorter trip that way.


	22. Conclusion

**AN: And finally the conclusion to this story makes it's appearance! I told you I'd have it finished today! ;) :D**

Another month flew by and the time came for Leanette's mother to return to her proper place in the after life. Leanette had been right after all - they were meant to move on with their lives. And they did. Leanette continued to teach Little red magic, and Little Red absorbed the skills like a sponge.

As another year flew by the strangest yet possibly greatest thing happened. Leanette fell in love and not only that - she was loved back. The man and Little Red, who wasn't so little anymore, got along perfectly which was also great. Leanette and the man married, it was a nice private wedding. Shortly after Leanette was pregnant with a child of her own. Contrary to what you may think this child did not take over Little Red's place in Leanette's heart, it simply found a place to call it's own.

The family of four didn't live on happily ever after but it was the closest thing to it the world had ever seen.


End file.
